Review # 260: Batman: The Dark Knight
Wednesday, July 23rd, 2008*sigh*
They tried to play up the Batman/Joker dynamic that never really had a chance to come into fruition or mature. This new villain is suddenly Batman’s counterpart? He hardly had time to earn it.
Batman’s voice, while abrasive in Batman Begins, was just comical in this one. I burst into laughter several times and at one point I had no idea what he was saying. Bale formed his mouth as though he were wearing a retainer and lowered his gravely voice making his speeches about justice and shit…well, laughable.
There were also some huge plot holes. For more on that, and a similar take on the move, read Jeremy’s review as well as the first comment on it.
I liked Maggie Gelen…Geyln…Gellyn…Gay cowboy’s sister much more than Dawson’s Creek girl, but she doesn’t really fit in a Batman movie. I liked the realism of the outdoor city scenes, probably because my retinas are still scarred by the hideous, neon debacle that Joel Schumacher delivered years ago. I also liked Harvey Dent/Two Face, if only because I wasn’t expecting it. I agree with others that his character development was rushed, but I didn’t feel as crowded by his character as I did with all the villains in Spiderman 3.
All that being said, I’m going to show you now the very best part of this movie-going experience (even Billy Corgan didn’t ruin it):
I can’t believe it took me so long to do this one.
It seems that in an effort to satirize right-wing scare tactics against the Obama campaign, cartoonist 
I didn’t see the 2003 Ang Lee Hulk movie. Well, I did, but you know the old story. I was wasted. Or fell asleep. Or both. But it’s well know that this is not a sequel to that movie. That being said, I’m very glad that they decided to forgo the whole “origin story” with this movie. They show some of it, but just during the opening credits, catching us up, but sparing us from hearing yet another rendition of a well-known song.